In a combustor mounting/demounting apparatus with the conventional technique according to state of the art, when replacing the combustor for use in the gas turbine engine, the piping and alike that are disposed around the combustor are demounted, and then a scaffold is assembled. A workman gets on the scaffold and operates an overhead crane to thereby sling and replace the combustor. For this reason it is necessary to remove or restore a number of piping that have been assembled around the combustor over a wide range, and it is also necessary to perform the work of assembling and disassembling the scaffold.
As a result, in the above-mentioned conventional operation, a large number of man-hours are needed, and a long work term is spent, for replacing the combustor and the work incidental thereto. Also, in the above-mentioned conventional operation, the work of the scaffold is performed at an overhead position, and workmen do not always have the appropriate posture, which is dangerous. Further, in the above-mentioned conventional operation, the work such as crane operation and slinging work requires a high level of skill, but is low in working efficiency. The result is that during the performance of the work, the combustor or the main body of the gas turbine is sometimes impaired or damaged.
With reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,680, in a gas turbine that is equipped, on a casing thereof, with a plurality of combustors in the circumferential direction thereof, there is provided a rail which is supported on a rail receiving stand that is movable on the ground and which is disposed in the form of a circular annulus or circular arc in correspondence with the disposition of the combustors. A slide mechanism is mounted on the rail so as to movable along the rail and is mounted so that the slide mechanism can enter into and retreat from the interior of the casing. A grip mechanism is mounted on an end portion of the slide mechanism and grips constituent parts of the combustor, such as a tail pipe, a nozzle and an inner cylinder. Also, in another aspect of the present embodiment, there are provided a rail that is shaped like a circular arc and is revolvably supported on the revolvable carriage, and a grip mechanism that grips constituent parts of the combustor.